Comprehensive phylogeny of the Cleroidea (Coleoptera: Cucujiformia)

Abstract

AbstractThe first thorough molecular phylogeny of the superfamily Cleroidea, represented by 377 taxa, and the first with an emphasis on Trogossitidae, was undertaken. Maximum likelihood and Bayesian analyses were performed on a four‐gene dataset (18S,28S,cox1,cytb) of 395 taxa (along with 18 outgroups), including all 16 currently recognized families of Cleroidea and all current and formerly recognized tribes of Trogossitidae. The superfamily as a whole received strong support in Bayesian analyses. On the basis of phylogenetic results, 18 families in Cleroidea are recognized, including three taxa elevated to family for the first time and two reinstated families. The former tribe Rentoniini (Trogossitidae: Peltinae) was strongly supported as a monophyletic group apart from the remainder of Trogossitidae, and is herein elevated to family status, Rentoniidaestat.n.Protopeltiswas also found to be an isolated lineage and becomes Protopeltidaestat.n.Peltini + Larinotini were recovered as a weakly supported sister grouping; Peltini (including onlyPeltis) becomes Peltidaestat.rest.The trogossitid subfamily Lophocaterinae, to the exclusion of Decamerini, formed a clade which is here designated Lophocateridaestat.rest. and sensu n.The Trogossitinae tribes Calityini, Egoliini (represented byEgolia) and Larinotini were recovered apart from core Trogossitidae but showed no strong affinities to other taxa or congruence between analyses; they are here conservatively retained in Trogossitidae as Calityinaestat.rest., Egoliinaestat.rest.and Larinotinaestat.rest.The genusThymalusof the peltine tribe Thymalini was indicated with moderate to strong support as the sister group of the Decamerini (Trogossitidae: Lophocaterinae); together these represent Thymalidaestat.n.andsensu n.with subfamilies Decamerinaestat.rest.(new placement) and Thymalinaestat.n.The remainder of Trogossitinae, the tribes Trogossitini and Gymnochilini, formed a well‐supported clade which comprises the Trogossitidae: Trogossitinaesensu n.The tribe Gymnochilinisyn.n.is synonymized with Trogossitini. The monotypic family Phloiophilidae was recovered, contradicting a recent placement within Trogossitidae. The melyrid lineage was recovered with moderate (maximum likelihood) to strong (Bayesian analyses) support and includes the families Phycosecidae, Rhadalidae, Mauroniscidae, Prionoceridae and Melyridae (including Dasytidae and Malachiidae). The genusDasyrhadusis tentatively transferred from Rhadalidae to Mauroniscidae. The genusGietella, once proposed as a distinct family but recently placed within Dasytidae, was recovered as strongly sister to Rhadalidaesensu n., and we transfer it to that family as Gietellinaenew placement. Attalomiminae (formerly Attalomimidae)syn.n.is synonymized with Melyridae: Malachiinae: Lemphinisensu n.Melyridaesensu n.includes only Dasytinae, Malachiinae and Melyrinae.Metaxinais returned to the Chaetosomatidaesensu n., of which Metaxinidaesyn.n.becomes a junior synonym. Resolution within Cleridae was generally poor, but a broadly defined Korynetinaestat rest.+ Epiclininae received high support (Bayesian analyses). Outside of Trogossitidae, the main focus of this study, major rearrangements of the classification of Cleroidea were not undertaken, despite evidence indicating such changes are needed.